A Warrior's Obligation
by VeneficaMelody
Summary: Ami gives up what appears to be the perfect mate because of her duty. Oneshot.


Author's Notes: I decided to do a little short from Ami's point of view. Obligation and duty come first, before anything else.

**Title:** _A Warrior's Obligation_

**Author:** _TsukinoHikage_

**Completed:** May 1, 2006

Ami twisted away from the questing lips, her eyes blazing with fury as she licked at the spittle clinging to the side of her mouth. The man's attempts at seduction were subtle, which was a fresh break from the clumsy and obvious overtures from her last boyfriend. And still, Ami couldn't make herself feel the desire that she should toward this man who possessed many of the qualities that she had always believed would make up her perfect mate.

As a warrior, a fighter in the army of the Moon, Sailor Mercury would never stand for such futile actions as dates. But as a lonely woman, Mizuno Ami still searched for that one man that would send her heart spinning. The romantic novels she secreted into her bedroom spoke of fireworks, and a spark that let you instantly know that the man you were speaking to was the one you were meant to be with for the rest of your life.

A student of science and reality, Ami knew that believing in those sorts of theories would only lead down a path of destruction, but seeing the love that her mistress had found with Mamoru, the warrior of Mercury knew that true love had to exist in some form. But did it exist for everyone?

"I'll call you tomorrow?"

The man's voice broke into Ami's musings, and as she looked at the face before her -- one not classically handsome, but not ugly either -- she knew that there had to be a trial basis before any concrete decision should be made. This was a man that had many qualities that she'd always longed for, but never found before. And yet, there was still something missing: the spark of love; the instant attraction that should burst from her heart upon the man's slightest touch.

A small nod of agreement before slipping into her apartment, swiftly closing the door behind her even as the man peered through the crack with a hopeful gaze. Measured footsteps took Ami into her bedroom, distantly registering the fact that her mother had left some type of take-out containers on the counter. Having slipped off her shoes in the entryway, now her bare feet sunk into the plush carpet that she had just recently had installed in her bedroom. Luxury in the face of nights fighting evil was one of the things that Ami allowed herself. A perk, considering there was no benefit to being one of the Senshi.

Treading lightly across the light blue carpet, Ami found herself standing before the window. She had a perfect view of the rock-lined lake that was strategically placed just close enough that she could call upon the powers of Mercury if needed. The elemental powers that had developed over the years were ones that Ami found useful, if not a strengthening tactic. It could almost be said that the sovereign of Mercury used her power over the earth's water as a theraputic device.

Blue eyes narrowed, Ami lifted her slim pale hands that would one day wield a scapel with such dexterity that she would be called a genius, and began a soft waving motion, mimicking the waves of the sea. While the sea was solely Neptune's domain, the child of Mercury felt a peacefulness when she heard the noise of waves. A waterfall offered much the same comfort, and it was with a deftness born of her heritage that Mercury manipulated the lake's water until it spilled down the rocks, offering the soothing sounds of a waterfall. One of nature's beauties was a waterfall, and everything that it offered. This was Ami's philosophy; she had believed in it long before knowing of her connection -- her affinity, one could say -- with water.

Today, spending time with a man that was the potential future of her love life, Ami had felt so far removed from the things that had once been familiar. It was with a Herculean effort that she had managed to finish out the date with any form of politeness. The earth's liquid resources called out Ami, humming in her veins like the sounds from a violin being strummed by a master. She longed for a mate, but there were few people who could understand that she was Mizuno Ami as well as Sailor Mercury, and care for her enough not to exploit that knowledge for their own benefit. Was the life of a Senshi meant to be a lonely one, for all those except the ones who found a companion among their brethren?

The ringing of the phone brought Ami's attention away from her thoughts, although a small part of her didn't release its grasp on the manipulated waterfall. Reaching for the receiver, she hesitated, hearing the muffled beeping of her Senshi communicator. Wavering only minutely, Ami turned from the phone and dug into her purse for the lifeline between herself and her comrades. Getting the location of the most recent attack from the stressed lips of Sailor Mars, Ami glanced at the caller ID before heading toward the door. It was the man she had just seen, calling to firm up their plans for tomorrow, most likely.

With an instant of bereavement for the relationship she had to give up, Ami started toward the door. It was a universal truth that she saw now: as a Senshi, her first duty was to the princess and their battle. Anything like love had to come last, if at all. There were few who would understand her mission, and it was with a heavy heart that Ami understood that no matter how she might be interested in the man she had known for less than a month, her first obligation would always be to the Moon princess. Anything else was treason.

No matter how much Ami wanted to get to know the man, perhaps even stay with him, there were too many obstacles. Her duty as a Senshi, for one thing, was too far-reaching for anything else to stand in the way. And there was _giri_, the Japanese concept of duty. To walk away from _giri_ was for Ami to lose her essence as a person. It would be much simpler to walk away from the man that, just possibly, might have been her perfect mate.

As she entered the dark of the night, already chanting the words of transformation, Ami knew that _giri_ was stronger than anything else she might long for.


End file.
